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Bobcats edge Wizards 119-114

By Rick Bonnell

Charlotte Observer

CHARLOTTE — Gerald Henderson nailed a 3-pointer with 55 seconds left and Kemba Walker scored on three drives in the last two minutes to give the Charlotte Bobcats a 119-114 victory over the Washington Wizards at Time Warner Cable Arena.

Henderson finished with 27 points. Walker added 18 and Ben Gordon 19. Wizards point guard John Wall finished with 25 points, but had several key turnovers.

By beating Washington, the Bobcats clinched the season series with the Wizards 3 games to 1. The Bobcats improved to 15-52. The Wizards fell to 23-43.

The Wizards pulled ahead 111-106 with just over three minutes left, on Trevor Booker’s transition dunk and Walls’ two free throws. In-between Washington’s Nene blocked Henderson’s drive to the rim.

But the Bobcats recovered with two drives by Walker and a 3-pointer by Gordon to push ahead 113-111 with 1 1/2 minutes left.

Washington’s Trevor Ariza made two turnovers on bad passes and Wall missed on a drive. Then Wall was called for a charge to give the Bobcats possession.

The Bobcats fell behind 81-76 in the first seven minutes of the second half, then roared back to enter the fourth quarter up 94-89.

Henderson ignited the comeback with a block at the rim of Wizards forward Trevor Booker, then dunked at the other end.

A couple of three-pointers by Charlotte forward Byron Mullens, who hasn’t played much, pushed along the surge. Then Jannero Pargo stripped Wizards rookie Bradley Beal to set up Ben Gordon’s run-out layup.

The Bobcats led 63-59 at halftime, shooting 57 percent from the field. Henderson had 14 points in the first half, while Josh McRoberts added 11 and Kemba Walker nine. The 63 points tied a first-half high for the Bobcats this season.

Pargo, playing on a 10-day contract as an injury replacement for Ramon Sessions, continued to impress.

He scored 11 in the first half, off 4-of-7 shooting, and broke up the Wizards’ last offensive set to end the half.

The Wizards ran a pick-and-roll at the top of the key for Emeka Okafor and Beal. Pargo fought through Okafor’s pick and stripped Beal of the ball. He got the ball to scoring range, but couldn’t make a play in time to beat the buzzer.

The Bobcats’ largest first-half lead was nine, while the Wizards never led by more than two. The Bobcats executed particularly well, limiting their first-half turnovers to four and making 11-of-13 free throws.

Nene was particularly effective for the Wizards inside, finishing the half with 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting. Okafor added 11 first-half points and six rebounds.

Wizards point guard John Wall, who grew up in Raleigh, was just named Eastern Conference player of the week. He averaged 24 points and 11 assists in those applicable games, but he fell short of that efficiency in Monday’s first half. He totaled 10 points but only one assist in 15 minutes.

The Bobcats continue a homestand with games Wednesday against the Toronto Raptors and Saturday versus the Detroit Pistons.